Respiration monitoring is useful in diagnosing and managing pathological conditions. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a risk factor for the development of systemic hypertension, ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure. OSA is also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, sleep apnea remains largely undiagnosed and untreated. Discrimination between obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea can be challenging and generally requires a sleep study, which is costly and burdensome to the patient. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has been found to be beneficial in reducing blood pressure, decreasing cardiac arrhythmias, and improving left ventricular function and reducing the incidence and mortality of cardiovascular diseases. Despite the availability of an effective therapy the majority of patients experiencing OSA go underdiagnosed and untreated. There remains a need, therefore, for monitoring respiration in patients to diagnosing and monitoring respiratory conditions such as in OSA or other respiratory diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, or congestive heart failure.